Student Services & Amenities Fee

Have your say about how Student Services and Amenities Fees will be spent

 Background

In October 2011, the Government passed legislation allowing higher education providers to charge a student services and amenities fee from January 2012. The fee is capped at $263 per student per year for 2012. Australian Students and students holding permanent humanitarian visas are eligible to defer the fee through the new SA-HELP scheme. More information about the fee is available here. 

As part of the implementation of  the student services and amenities fee, higher education providers must consult with students about what the fee revenue will be spent on.

 What can the SSA revenue be spent on?

The Student Services and Amenities Fee legislation sets out the categories of services that the collected fees can be spent on. These are as follows:

• a) providing food or drink to students on a campus of the higher education provider;
• b) supporting a sporting or other recreational activity by students;
• c) supporting the administration of a club most of whose members are students;
• d) caring for children of students;
• e) providing legal services to students; 
• f) promoting the health or welfare of students; 
• g) helping students secure accommodation; 
• h) helping students obtain employment or advice on careers; 
• i) helping students with their financial affairs; 
• j) helping students obtain insurance against personal accidents; 
• k) supporting debating by students; 
• l) providing libraries and reading rooms (other than those provided for academic purposes) for students; 
• m) supporting an artistic activity by students; 
• n) supporting the production and dissemination to students of media whose content is provided by students; 
• o) helping students develop skills for study, by means other than undertaking courses of study in which they are enrolled; 
• p) advising on matters arising under the higher education provider's rules (however described); 
• q) advocating students' interests in matters arising under the higher education provider's rules (however described); 
• r) giving students information to help them in their orientation; 
• s) helping meet the specific needs of overseas students relating to their welfare, accommodation and employment.

 SSA Student Consultation at UOW

The University wants to hear what students would like the fee revenue to be spent on. Its draft spending priorities are as follows:

1. SSA Fees should be spent on infrastructure, capital or other projects of a one-off nature that deliver ongoing service improvement benefits to students in the above categories.
2. Without limiting possible wider application at non-Wollongong locations, the University's priorities are on the following items from the spending categories listed above: (b), (c), (d), (f), (g), (h), (l), (m), (n), (o), (r) and (s).
3. The University believes that funds raised from students studying at non-Wollongong locations should be re-invested at non-Wollongong locations.

These draft priorities have been determined by considering feedback from student surveys from the past two years and by considering current strategic projects and operational needs. The draft priorities are intended to generate discussion and are not necessarily the final position of the University. Therefore we value your feedback on all the service categories set out above.

From November 2011 until 16 March 2012, we invited submissions from students suggesting what the Student Services and Amenities Fee should be spent on at UOW. We received close to 300 submissions that were considered by the Student Representative Forum on 23 March 2012.

The recommendations from the Student Representative Forum will be presented to the University Council for consideration on 13 April 2012. Following the Council meeting, the University will inform students what the SSAF money will be spent on as soon as possible.

Thanks again to everyone who made a submission and contributed to the Student Representative Forum. 

 If you have any queries please contact the Corporate Governance Unit:
ssa-consultation@uow.edu.au / 4221 5933.